Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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When I think about it, there wasn’t much in that vast house that I could truly call “mine.”
Of course, the mansion was legally mine.
It was the place I had inherited from my father, and I had been using it as “my home” since I was nine years old.
But, I never really felt like that place was my home.
Among the things inside the mansion, very few were bought because I wanted them.
Most of the furniture and decor were already prepared from the moment I moved in.
Of course, I didn’t lack for anything.
At least in terms of “things,” there was nothing missing, but…
I always felt like everything there was borrowed, like it wasn’t really mine.
Maybe that’s why all the belongings I packed fit neatly into a large suitcase.
Just enough clothes and underwear to last a few days, my school uniform, a few notebooks and letters from the drawer, and some random trinkets.
To be honest, even most of the uniforms and underwear weren’t clothes I picked out.
The only things I had actually chosen for myself were the casual clothes I’d bought little by little over the past two months while out with friends.
Some accessories were things I had purchased, too.
Most were from my childhood, trivial items whose origin I couldn’t even remember.
I probably bought them off street vendors while walking around with my father or stepmother.
Though they weren’t many and I couldn’t recall where I got most of them, these small items were evidence of the happier days in my past, fragments of fond memories.
The hairpin I always wore when I went outside was one of those items.
In contrast, So-hee’s room was the complete opposite of my mansion.
Even without asking about each item, a quick glance made it clear that everything in this room reflected So-hee’s personal taste.
So-hee approached her close friends with the energetic personality of a playful puppy, but she was a bit prickly with those she wasn’t close to.
Just looking at her prickly demeanor might give the impression that she had a rough personality, and depending on the person, they might even think she had a somewhat masculine, tomboyish nature—
But judging from what I saw right now, her real personality seemed to be the one she showed around her friends.
There wasn’t much in the room that was dark-colored.
When I had briefly glanced inside while dropping off my bag earlier, I had simply thought it was well-organized and tidy, but now, on a second look, it seemed strangely cluttered.
No, I don’t mean messy or chaotic.
How should I put it?
The items on the desk and the large stuffed animals on the bed were all neatly arranged, but those knickknacks were so eye-catching that it made the room feel disorganized… like everything was in order, but the room still somehow looked cluttered.
…Yeah, I don’t even know what I’m saying.
“So, let me reintroduce it. This is the room we’ll be sharing for a while!”
“Mm-hmm…”
It’s small.
No, not the room, but the bed.
So-hee’s bed was clearly a single bed.
This room didn’t seem to be designed for two people to share.
It wasn’t so small that it would feel cramped with both of us inside, but still.
“Oh, if the bed seems too small,”
Maybe So-hee noticed that my gaze was fixed on the pink bed. She quickly spoke up.
“I can sleep on the floor. Since I’m the one who asked you to stay with me, there’s no need for my guest to sleep on the floor.”
“No, but it’s your house.”
“Huh? Oh, then should we both sleep on the floor? If we spread out some blankets, the floor would probably be wider.”
“…”
Wouldn’t that be a bit strange?
Of course, the floor would be heated, so sleeping on it wouldn’t be a problem, but… isn’t it a little backwards to insist on sleeping on the floor with your guest out of guilt for making them sleep there?
“It’s fine. We used to share the same bed anyway.”
So-hee still hadn’t kicked her habit of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and then crawling into the wrong bed.
Thanks to that, I always woke up feeling strangely cramped on the bed in the mornings.
Even though it was big enough for three people, So-hee and Soo-ah would both end up clinging to me like they were drawn to my warmth.
…But honestly, I preferred that to waking up alone in that big bed.
Even though it was a single bed, it looked like it would be enough for the two of us.
It might be a bit tight, but one of us could sleep on the floor if it got too uncomfortable, or we could just do what So-hee suggested and both sleep on the floor.
“Really?!”
So-hee’s face lit up at my answer.
…Maybe she just doesn’t like sleeping alone?
Hmm, that might be the case now that I think about it.
She often slept with So-ri, and coming to my bed had become a habit for her.
Maybe she felt lonely without her family around?
“Okay, let’s try that for now. After all, we did agree to share the room.”
“Great!”
So-hee’s response was clearly to what I had said, but somehow her whole demeanor was directed at me, which made me feel a little embarrassed.
*
This house seemed big enough for a family of four, and it was probably bigger than my own room if I measured the total area, but the way the space was divided made everything feel a bit smaller.
Even the individual rooms, including the living room, felt like they had less space.
More than anything, I felt this way because the three family members here were almost always in the same place.
Of course, I had only arrived this evening, so all I had seen was the family gathered in the living room or preparing a slightly late dinner in the kitchen, but still.
In my room, it was often just me, So-hee, Soo-ah, and Ha-neul hanging out.
Sometimes Yang Hye-in would join us, but the room was so large and mostly empty that it never felt crowded, even with four of us there.
But here, it was different.
Instead of one big empty space, there were separate rooms with distinct purposes, and a shared living room and kitchen where the family came together.
The TV was on, though no one was watching it.
Amid the low hum of the TV filling the room,
“So-ri, can you bring this to the table?”
“Okay!”
I could hear the sound of So-hee skillfully scooping rice into bowls and taking side dishes out of the fridge, and the sound of So-ri receiving each dish and placing them on the table.
“…”
And the sound of So-hee’s father, silently focused on grilling sausages in the frying pan.
The three of them together gave the house a bustling feeling.
It didn’t feel noisy, though.
Instead, the naturalness of it all made it feel heartwarming.
Despite having been away from home for quite a while, So-hee had seamlessly rejoined her family.
No, saying she “rejoined” is the wrong expression.
So-hee was always part of this family to begin with.
No matter how long she was away, she had a family waiting for her when she returned.
No matter when she came back, she could fit right in as part of the family again.
That kind of bond wasn’t something that could be easily broken by anyone.
“Unnie.”
“Hm?”
Before I knew it, So-ri had come over and was looking up at me intently.
Ah, have I just been sitting here doing nothing?
I was sitting at the kitchen table because So-hee told me to, but it felt rude to just sit idly while the family was busy.
As I started to get up from my chair,
“Are you sad?”
So-ri suddenly asked something completely unexpected.
“Hmm?”
I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant, and So-ri continued to stare up at me, speaking again.
“You looked like you were thinking about something sad.”
“…Did I?”
Did this little child really pick up on my emotions?
Come to think of it, maybe I had been feeling that way.
Unlike this family, which was so clearly connected, I was in the process of cutting ties with my stepmother.
That was, after all, the biggest reason why I had come here.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Even after I nodded, So-ri continued to stare at me for a while.
“Okay. I’ll believe you.”
Then, putting her hands on her hips as if she were doing me a favor, she said this in a magnanimous tone.
In other words, she didn’t really believe me at all.
“You’re such a good girl. Thanks.”
But all I could do was give her a wry smile as I responded.